Whitakers climate

Whitakers Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Rocky Mt 8 Ese, 23.7 km from Whitakers, elevation 110 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rocky Mt 8 Ese. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around March 31 and the first fall freeze around November 7, a growing season of about 223 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last March 31, first November 7
Median at 28°F
last March 18, first November 17

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 21Apr 17Apr 14Apr 11Apr 9Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 26
32°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 10
28°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 26Mar 21Mar 18Mar 13Mar 7Mar 3Feb 26
24°FMar 23Mar 17Mar 12Mar 7Mar 2Feb 28Feb 25Feb 19Feb 9
20°FMar 12Mar 5Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 14Feb 8Feb 2Jan 23
16°FMar 3Feb 24Feb 17Feb 9Feb 4Jan 31Jan 25Jan 17Jan 8

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 16Oct 21Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11
32°FOct 26Nov 1Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 23
28°FNov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30Dec 5
24°FNov 12Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 12Dec 22Jan 1
20°FNov 24Dec 2Dec 9Dec 20Dec 26Jan 1Jan 5Jan 13Jan 23
16°FDec 10Dec 25Dec 31Jan 5Jan 11Jan 16Jan 22Jan 29Feb 6

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F223216210206203200196192187
32°F249240233228223219215210203
28°F274265258252246241236230222
24°F305294286280273267261254245
20°F338326318310305298292283271
16°F365365353341334327318309300

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
98% of years
16°F or colder
82% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
3,381
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,549
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,562
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,040
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,676
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,474
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,430

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January761024
February626038
March4899117
April20836298
May60138543
June3314760
July0429894
August0352817
September15217652
October17246348
November4057132
December641153

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 23.7 km from Whitakers. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00317400 (Rocky Mt 8 Ese). Public domain.